Naqvi’s call for new provinces faces fresh pushback

ISLAMABAD: Key lea­ders of coalition partners, reacting to Interior Min­ister Mohsin Naqvi’s proposal to overhaul the country’s governance stru­cture and create new provinces, urged him to first implement the National Action Plan (NAP), arguing that Pakistan’s governance fail­ures stem from constitutional violations rather than the existing federating units. Defence Minister Kha­waja Asif responded to Mr Naqvi’s remarks in a post on X, in which he also referred to the DG ISPR’s comments. “Mohsin Naqvi sahib expr­essed his views on the dire state of the system. I more or less personally agree with these views,” Mr Asif wrote, describing the interior minister as a “powerhouse”.

He added that, as a political worker, he believed the country’s political evolution had been “held captive to factional and personal interests for decades” and needed to be freed. The federal minister advised Mr Naqvi to begin the overhaul process by implementing NAP through his own ministry. He also urged Mr Naqvi to bring about a “revolution” in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which he heads in addition to serving as interior minister. Last week, Mr Naqvi had said the country’s governance system had “collapsed” and argued that Pakistan needed new administrative units, or provinces, to improve service delivery, accountability and access to justice. He also called for new leadership, saying the country’s youth wanted justice, merit and jobs rather than stipends and laptops. A day later, the military’s spokesperson also called on political parties to consider an administrative reset to improve governance, arguing that the country’s security and stability depended on adapting its governance structure to the demands of modern times and a growing population. Mr Asif said that if the system was to be str­engthened and meaningful reforms introduced, the appropriate forum was parliament, of which Mr Naqvi is a member, or the federal cabinet. “This way, these institutions and the system would be strengthened, and change would come through a constitutional process,” he said. The defence minister also pointed out that Mr Naqvi was a cabinet member but claimed he rar­ely attended parliamentary or cabinet sessions. “In my opinion, treating these institutions as irrelevant and making such a major statement before a captive audience after inviting the country’s eminent and respected businessmen does not carry the same weight that it would have had if made at the relevant constitutional forums,” he said. Mr Asif further noted that Mr Naqvi had held a “very powerful position” in the system for the past three years. “Had he wanted, he could have spoken about changing the system or made progress on it during this time,” he said. In a subsequent post on X, Mr Asif also urged Mr Naqvi to reform the Pakistan Cricket Board. “Naqvi sahib, systems evolve continuously and they should. As an example, bring about a revolution in the PCB. Cricket fans are not satisfied with its performance,” he wrote. He added that in the PCB, “all authority rests with you. There is neither a prime minister, nor parliament, nor any outdated system standing in your way.”

Rabbani opposes new provinces Meanwhile, former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has strongly opposed the proposal to create new provinces, arguing that Pakistan’s governance failures stem from violations of the Constitution rather than the existing federating units. In a detailed statement, he cautioned that redrawing administrative boundaries would not resolve the country’s deep-rooted systemic issues. Instead, he said, the real causes of the governance crisis are the erosion of provincial autonomy and the weakening of democratic institutions. According to the veteran lawmaker, several factors have contributed to the current situation. These include the repeated derailment of the democratic process, the ceding of political space to the civil-military bureaucracy, the weakening of the federation through the centralisation of powers in Islamabad, allowing dictators to amend the Constitution at will, experimenting with more than 10 models of governance since 1947, policy decisions being taken outside parliament, rendering it redundant, the failure to hold free, fair elections as envisaged, governance being carried out in blatant violation of the Constitution, disregard for the doctrine of the trichotomy of powers, the prevalence of rule by law instead of the rule of law, and the denial of provincial autonomy. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Mr Rabbani said. The veteran politician also proposed several measures to address the country’s governance challenges. These include strict adherence to the supremacy of the Constitution, 1973; upholding the rule of law; ensuring full compliance with the provincial autonomy guaranteed under the Constitution, 1973; strict observance of the constitutional principle of the trichotomy of powers; and devolving political, administrative, and financial authority to elected local governments as envisaged under Article 140-A of the Constitution, 1973. Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2026